A review by doriastories
King Stork by Howard Pyle
3.0
This book is lavishly and rather erotically illustrated by the late Trina Schart Hyman, one of the most brilliant illustrators whose work I’ve had the pleasure to see. Unfortunately, the tale is told from a misogynistic vantage point, relentlessly pitting men against women, with total victory through violence scored by the former against the latter. This pretty well spoils the happily-ever-after ending for me.
Luckily, the illustrations are so detailed, so expressive, and so full of implied movement, that they can practically tell the story themselves. The violence described by the author is not depicted by the illustrator, leaving us to draw our own conclusions about the story, and about her interpretation of it.
Luckily, the illustrations are so detailed, so expressive, and so full of implied movement, that they can practically tell the story themselves. The violence described by the author is not depicted by the illustrator, leaving us to draw our own conclusions about the story, and about her interpretation of it.